Operation and apparatus in which twist is imparted to threads



g.10,1937. w. I. TAYLOR ETAL- 2,089 229 OPERATION AND APPARATUS IN WHICH TWIST IS IMPARTED TO THREADS Filed April 11, 1936 WILLIAM I TAYLOR ALFRED HWDODRUFF )NVENTORS Patented Aug. 10, 1937 QPERATION APPARATUS IN WHICH TWIST IS EMPARTED T THREADS William Ivan Taylor and Alfred Herbert Woodrufl, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application April 11,

In Great Britain April 27, 1935 10 Claims.

This invention relates to operations and apparatus in which twist is imparted to textile threads, e. g. to crepe twisting operations and apparatus.

According to the invention a thread that is to receive twist is wetted and then subjected to the action of steam at a point where the thread is receiving twist, the wetting being effected by means of a rotatable roller into contact with the periphery of which the thread comes to pick up a controlled amount of moisture.

In order that the action of the twisting device shall extend over that part of the length of the' thread'which is being subjected to the action of the steam, it is important that the thread should undergo no material deviation from its path or be otherwise subjected to material restraint between the twisting device and the end of the steaming zone remote from the twisting device. Thus, in the case where the twist is applied to a thread proceeding from a delivery package, the roller serving to wet the thread between the twisting device and the steaming zone should only make light contact with the thread so as not to prevent the twist imparted by the twisting device from running past the roller into the steaming zone. When, however, the twist is being applied at a take-up package, e. g. by-a ring-spinning device, it is of less importance whether the wetting roller preceding the steaming zone, which in this case is located between the roller and the twisting device, causes any substantial deviation or not of the thread.

The roller may be positively driven so as to 35 pick up water from a trough into which it dips and apply it at a steady rate to the thread depending upon the speed of rotation of the roller. The roller may, however, be lightly pivoted so as to be rotated by contact with the thread it- 40 5- L? 7 i If desired the roller may be provided with a layer of absorbent material to assist in carrying the water to the thread, but in this case it is importantthat the material should not be oi loose 45 structure, or contain any protruding fibers, since the thread receiving the twist might become entangled with the covering.

Apreferred form of roller specially adapted to carry a predetermined amount of liquid to the 5 thread has an uncovered surface provided with a shallow groove. This groove has a width preferably only slightly in excess of the thickness of the thread and a depth sufilcient to enable the desired quantity of moisture to be elevated. The twisted thread enters the groove and so receives 1936, Serial No. 73,838

the moisture picked up from the trough by the rotation of the roller. The contact between the thread and the liquid-carrying roller is very light, so that twist is not restrained from running past the roller into the steaming zone.

By way of example two forms of apparatus according to the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. l is a side elevation of a twisting device provided with moistening means according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the upper part of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 shows an alternative form of the moistening apparatus as shown in Fig. 2.

A package i is mounted on a twisting spindle 2 which is rotated by means ofa suitable wharl 3. Yarn t is drawn from the package I and passes through a thin ring 5 disposed between two flanges 6 on the spindle Zbefore proceeding upwards to aballoon guide I of stainless steel. From the balloon guide i the yarn passes through a steam pipe 8, which, as indicated in Fig. 2, serves a bank of spindles 2. The steam pipe 8 25 is provided with ofl'set chambers 9, one for each\ of the spindles 2, as is described in U. S. application S. No. 25,054, filed 5th June, 1935, apertures i0, Ii being provided in the bottom of the pipe 8 and the top of the chamber 9, respectively, through which the thread passes. From the aperture H the thread passes to a traversing guide i2 mounted'on a traversing bar l3, which guide traverses the yarn on a bobbin l4 driven with constant peripheral speed by means of a driving drum I 5.

Surrounding the offset chamber 9 is a ring It secured thereto by means of a knurled screw IT. The ring forms part of a bracket l8 which carries at its lower end a vessel I9 adapted to contain. water or other liquid suitable for moistening the yarn 4. The balloon guide I is carried on the end of the vessel l9. 0n the sides of the vessel i9 are lugs 20, for carrying a mois-- 45 tening roller 2!. The roller 25 is mounted on a spindle 22 having pointed ends which fit into conical recesses in the ends of the screws 23 passing through the lugs 20 and fixed in position by meansof lock nuts 24. In the middle of the surface of the roller 2| is a circumferential groove 25 in which the thread 4 runs while passing from the balloon guide i to the steam pipe 8. The height of the bracket l8 and of the parts carried thereby may be adjusted by loosening the screw r to permit the twist to enter the yarn at a point r l1, and-raising or lowering the ring IS on the offset chamber 9. 2

By. the means described above the thread I is twisted by the rotation of the spindle 2 and 5 the bobbin I, and, on account of the trapping means 5, .6 mounted onthe spindle, and the direct path of the thread 4 from said trapping means t6 the interior of the steam pipe 8 and chamber 9, twist enters the yarn at a point inside the steam pipe and chamber. The contact made between the thread 4 and the roller 2] is suflicientlyl light to allow the twist imparted by the rotation of the spindle 2 to enter the yarn at a point beyond said roller. In Fig. 3 an alternative form of moistening roller is illustrated in which the roller 2|, instead of being grooved as in Figs. 1 and 2, is

; provided with a covering of felt 26. Here, again,

the contact between the thread 4 and the felt 26 on the periphery of the roller 2| is light enough beyond the roller.

Having described our invention what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In an operation involving imparting twist to a travelling thread, the steps of subjecting the thread to the action of steam at a point where said thread is receiving twist and, before said thread reaches said point, running said thread over a moving wetted surface so as to moisten the thread before steam is applied to it.

2. In an-operation involving imparting twist to a travelling thread, the steps of drawing the thread Home rotating package, moistening said thread by running it over a moving wetted surface, contact between said thread and said surface being light enough to permit twist to be imparted by the rotation of said packageto said thread at a point beyond said surface, andsub- 4o iecting the moistened threadv to the'actiornof steam at said pointy-i. e., where the thread is receiving twist. 3. Apparatusgin which twist is imparted to a thread, saidapparatus comprising means for 5 imparting twist to a travelling thread, means for applying steam to said thread at a point where said thread is receiving twist, a rotatable roller over which said thread is caused to run in passing .to said applying means, and means for wetting the surface of said roller in order to moisten the thread before steam is applied to it.

' 4. Apparatus in which twist is imparted to .a

thread, comprising a twisting spindle, means for applying steam to a thread leaving said twist- 55 ing spindle, said means by itsdisposition relative to said twisting spindle being adapted to apply steam to the thread at a point where the thread is receiving twist, a rotatable roller over which said thread is caused to pass between said 60 twisting spindle and said applying means, and means for wetting the surface of said roller so as to moisten the thread passing over it, said roller. being adapted to make with said thread a contact light enough to permit the twist im- 5 parted by said twisting spindle to enter the thread at a point beyond said roller.

5. Apparatus in which twist is imparted to a thread, comprising a twisting spindle, means for applying steam to a thread leaving said twisting 70 spindle, said means by its disposition relative to said twisting spindle bing adapted to apply steam to the thread at apoint where ,the thread is receiving twist, a rotatable roller over which thread comprising a twisting spindle,

' of said roller having a circumferential groove and means for wetting said roller so as to moisten the thread by the moisture held in said groove, said roller being adapted to make with said thread a contact light enough to permit the twist imparted. by said twisting spindle to enter the thread at a point beyond said roller.

6. Apparatus in which twist is imparted to a means for applying steam to a thread leaving said twisting spindle, said means by its disposition relative'to said twisting spindle being adapted to apply steam to the thread at a point where the thread is receiving twist, a rotatable roller over which said thread is caused to pass between said twisting spindle and said applying means, a felt covering for the periphery of said roller, and means for wetting said roller so as to moisten the thread by therein,

the moisture held in said covering, said roller being adapted to make with said'thread a contact light enough to permit the twist imparted by said twisting spindle to epter the thread at a point beyond said roller.

'7. Apparatus inwhich twist is imparted to a thread, said apparatus comprising a twisting" spindle, means for applying steam to thread leaving said twisting spindle, said means by its disposition relative to said twisting spindle being adapted to apply steam to the thread at a point where the thread is receiving twist, a bracket carried upon said applying means, a rotatable roller mounted in said bracket, over which roller the thread is caused to pass between said twisting spindle and said applying means, said roller having a circumferential groove in its surface, a vessel carried by said bracket into which said rolleris adapted to dip, whereby said groove is fed with moisture contained in said vessel and said thread is moistened by the moisture held in said groove, said roller being adapted to make with said thread a contact light enough to permit the twist imparted by said twisting spindle to enter the thread at a point beyond said roller.

8. Apparatus in which twist is imparted to a thread, said apparatus comprising a twisting spindle, means for applying steam to thread leaving said twisting spindle, said means by its disposition relative to said twisting spindle being adapted to apply steam to the thread at a point where the thread is receiving twist, a bracket carried upon said applying means, a rotatable roller mounted in said bracket over which roller the thread is-caused to pass between said twisting spindle and'said applying means, a felt covering for the periphery of said roller, a vessel carried by said bracket into which said roller is adapted 

